What's new

How do beards, East and West, affect straight razor design?

I wonder if someone knows how beards of Eastern Asian folk and Western folk affect straight razor design. Eastern Asian and Southeast Asian folk tend to have thin beards, though sometimes the hair is coarse. Western folk and Indians tend to have dense beards, often heavy and coarse. What choices would a razor maker have to make? When I look at some old Japanese razors, there is not much to hold on to, and the blades are shaped differently. I look at Western razors and even though there may be different points and grinds, they are all similar to each other in design and purpose.
 
There is a certain level of culture and tradition the influences design. You will also notice differences in the traditional design of kitchen knives and wood working tools. There may be a slightly different grip but I think you will find both styles equally effective at their intended task.
 
There is a certain level of culture and tradition the influences design. You will also notice differences in the traditional design of kitchen knives and wood working tools. There may be a slightly different grip but I think you will find both styles equally effective at their intended task.
Agree with @Tomo in that cultural differences probably had a bigger influence, rather than the genetics of the whiskers. Before the world became a small place, technology often developed in parallel, without reference to each other, like in tools and razors.

I am no expert on the matter, but I have read that even razors made in Europe for export to Japan, and probably the rest of Asia, tended to favour heavier grinds, which doesn't reflect a need to cut tougher whiskers, just preference.

Don't know how much you know about traditional kamisoris, but they are completely different from Western razors with their asymmetrical grinds, indicating that it should only be used with one hand, normally right hand. In practise you can use both sides to shave with, but to me it feels strange. Again the reasons for it is not really clear, some say its because traditionally Japanese men were shaven by their wives.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
From my Asian experience, most Asian men have whiskers that are as tough as other races. However, it is common for Asian men to have less whiskers per square cm and less overall area with whiskers.
 
Yes, the hair usually coarse, but there is not as much of it on the face and neck. It is highly unusual to see East Asians and Southeast Asians with thick beards. When you get to Bangladesh and India, it is a completely different story. Their beards tend to be thick and heavy, as a rule. Usually, necessity determines design.

I also have noticed the introduction of the Western style straight razors to Japan and India after the arrival of open trade or colonization. Japan seems to have produced some very fine razors. I certainly am in love with the one I have. India seems to produce nice razors, as well.
 
I don’t know how the different design of knife, tool and razor production came about, but I doubt it is reflected in beard type. More likely razor design copied knife making. Single bevel design.

The single bevel design is pretty universal for Axes, plane blades, marking, working knives and microtomes, proven performer in western tools. So, it was not unknow technology.

What different facial hair require is blade sharpness, regardless of the blade grind. Western ground razors were popular in Japan, as were western steels once they became available.

What I find interesting it how long it took for Japanese sharpening stones to become popular in the west, a fairly recent discovery. If you look back at razor fora, Jnats have only been popular in the last 15 years or so.

For years, many in the razor fora, derided the Hard Ark as too coarse or slow of a stone, for razor honing. Funny how things change.
 
For years, many in the razor fora, derided the Hard Ark as too coarse or slow of a stone, for razor honing. Funny how things change.
Well, at least they were right about it being too slow, for anything but finishing at least. I try to imagine setting a bevel on one of my Hard Arkansas stones, and it just makes me shudder and want to think about something else immediately.

Update: one added thought: if you don't know about properly preparing the surface of your hard ark before putting a razor on it, the performance might justify any negative comment you'd care to make.
 
Top Bottom